Senior Category Manager, Direct To Retail

Welcome to Warner Bros. Discovery… the stuff dreams are made of.

Who We Are…

When we say, “the stuff dreams are made of,” we’re not just referring to the world of wizards, dragons and superheroes, or even to the wonders of Planet Earth. Behind WBD’s vast portfolio of iconic content and beloved brands, are the storytellers bringing our characters to life, the creators bringing them to your living rooms and the dreamers creating what’s next…

From brilliant creatives, to technology trailblazers, across the globe, WBD offers career defining opportunities, thoughtfully curated benefits, and the tools to explore and grow into your best selves. Here you are supported, here you are celebrated, here you can thrive.

Your New Role…

We are looking for an experience Senior Category Manager for our Direct To Retail (DTR) business. In this role you will manage a number of our key DTR partners, driving both distribution and revenue, and will be responsible for managing your business area to meet and exceed all revenue targets. You will establish, maintain and develop relationships with all relevant buyers and commercial stakeholders, and will effectively manage & provide an excellent service to the designated partners (this will require some travel in the UK and Ireland).

Your Role Accountabilities…

• Ensure strategic plans are developed, with recommendations made encompassing all core commercial and brand factors (including, but not limited to, supply route; franchise usage & commercial terms)
• Delivery of revenues to agreed quarterly budgetary targets against assigned product areas and franchises. Including updates to relevant territory stakeholders.
• Successful development & listings of comprehensive product ranges, across all relevant consumer areas and pricing architectures
• Full ownership, including all negotiations of contractual terms that meet/exceed the current company guidelines.
• Ensure that all products submitted for approval are in line with the broader strategy and add maximum value to the franchise.
• Organise & execute the relevant engagement sessions – creative; franchise; PD; Commercial as relevant – with the ambition of increasing WBD presence at Retail via best in class product and marketing executions.
• Work with relevant internal WBD stakeholders to maximise revenues on a regional / global basis and coordinate pitches where required.
• Support and drive initiatives identified via WBD CP, Franchise & UK Retail teams.
• Formulate plans to support local country initiatives as agreed with department leads.
• Conduct quarterly business reviews, ensuring that we are building a business that is in line with our commercial KPI’s, and continually reviewing performance against ambitions
• Ongoing evaluation of the right route to market. Recommending, and exiting partnerships when appropriate, as well as on-boarding new DTR partners as and when applicable – in line with the constantly changing nature of the retail and consumer landscape

Qualifications & Experience…

• Experience within the UK market gained from working at or with retail. A clear understanding of buying processes at retail is essential, and some knowledge of product development processes would be preferred
• Strong commercial knowledge, able to translate content and brand opportunities into retail and product execution to deliver against financial expectations
• Able to perform well under time constraints, manage many priorities and to use time effectively to achieve business goals. Able to drive growth and progress in a changing retail and consumer landscape
• Strong communication skills, able to influence people at all levels both internally and externally. Strong presentation skills
• Broad product experience at retail, and must have some level of “toy” experience – this role is primarily hardlines focused across home, accessories & toy product areas
• Proven planning ability, able to analyse data and develop actionable recommendations
• A good understanding of the marketing mix, across industry relevant media touch points, and social impact channels
• Able to work within a matrix organisation and with the flexibility to handle rapid changes and some ambiguity.
• Experience of coaching, mentoring & guiding other team members

Additional Information

On June 9, 2025, Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans to separate into two publicly traded companies, Warner Bros. and Discovery Global, with an expected completion in mid-2026. For more details, including leadership appointments and information on individual brands, please visit our newsroom here.

Although you will be hired by Warner Bros. Discovery, upon the planned separation in 2026, your employment likely will transition to Warner Bros. Company. During this period of transformation, you’ll have an exciting opportunity to lay the foundation at one of the world’s premier entertainment brands.

Hybrid Working – This role is advertised as a Hybrid work model, that combines remote and in-office work, following our current company policy and to be agreed with your Line Manager. Subject to any applicable laws, WBD / your Line Manager reserves the right to change this working agreement where this is essential to business needs and upon reasonable notice to you.

How We Get Things Done…

This last bit is probably the most important! Here at WBD, our guiding principles are the core values by which we operate and are central to how we get things done. You can find them at www.wbd.com/guiding-principles/ along with some insights from the team on what they mean and how they show up in their day to day. We hope they resonate with you and look forward to discussing them during your interview.

Championing Inclusion at WBD

Warner Bros. Discovery embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects a wide array of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, disability or any other category protected by law.

If you’re a qualified candidate with a disability and you require adjustments or accommodations during the job application and/or recruitment process, please visit our accessibility page for instructions to submit your request.

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